


Recipe for Domesticity

by stickers_on_a_laptop



Series: The Hotel Stars Extended Universe [3]
Category: Hotel Stars สูตรรักนักการโรงแรม | Hotel Stars: The Series (TV), Mini Series Ingredients
Genre: Cameos, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:08:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26429158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stickers_on_a_laptop/pseuds/stickers_on_a_laptop
Summary: Pleum, his internship over, meets Win on a gig. Friendship occurs.
Relationships: Neung/Kay, Win/Tops
Series: The Hotel Stars Extended Universe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1920982
Kudos: 3





	1. Walk Walk Fashion Baby

**Author's Note:**

> This came to be because I saw that Jeff (Win) had been in Kamikaze along with Pleum (Neung) and was like...well both of them play a boyfriend to a cook, what if they knew each other in the BL universe?

Neung pecked Kay on the cheek as he left for his newest modeling gig.

“Bye Kay, see you later!”

“When will you be back?”

Neung paused. He wasn’t sure about that, actually. This was a bigger gig than usual, and it wasn’t just photos, either. He would actually be on a runway, with other models, and there would be music as well. He pulled up his phone and checked the event. 

“Says it should end around 4, and then there will be cleanup, so hopefully before 7, considering I have to take the bus.”

Kay sighed, as he had a shift at the local restaurant at that time. He had hoped it would be a quicker gig, but he knew Neung often wouldn’t know his exact job until he got there (although Kay tried to make sure to scout the place beforehand, considering what had happened that one time before their Hotel Stars internship). He also knew Neung had a habit of not worrying about details, so finding out the details on this gig two hours before it happened was on brand for him. Still, Kay had wished to have a quick, quiet dinner with his boyfriend. He sighed and gave Neung a kiss on his cheek.

“I won’t see you until later, then. My shift starts at 6”

Neung’s face fell and he pouted before nodding.

“Wish you would come and see me on the runway” Neung hinted hopefully.

“Neung, you know for a fact that Akk asked me to help try new recipes at his homestay!”

“You could call and cancel...I’m sure Akk would understand!”

“Neung. No.”

Neung pouted and kissed Kay on the forehead one last time before leaving, although not without a backwards glance and wave. Kay returned the wave and watched his boyfriend leave. When Neung was out of sight, Kay decided to clean the house, as he wouldn’t need to be at Akk’s until later. He turned on some music and used his knowledge from the internship to make the house sparkling. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Neung was on the crowded bus, listening to the music he had cheered to in high school and feeling nostalgic, when he noticed someone with a guitar getting on the bus. Since he was the only one with a free seat, he slid over to the window seat, nodding when the guy next to him shot him a grateful look. He looked about Neung’s age, maybe a tiny bit older than Neung’s own 21, nearly 22 years. Neung looked out the window as the stops went by. When it was nearly his stop, he was surprised by a hand reaching in front of him to pull the line. The two got off the bus, and then checked their phones.

“Hey do you know wh-“ 

“Where is-“ the two stopped in confusion, as they were both talking at the same time.

“Are you going to the department store opening?” Neung asked.

“Yup, I am” answered the young man, smiling a bit and showing dimples. “I’m playing some of my songs, how about you?”

“I’m one of the models, showing off the clothes they’ll be selling” Neung replied. “I’m Neung, by the way.”

“Win” replied the other, as he stuck out his hand.

“Well, we can help each other find it” Neung said as he shook Win’s hand. The two looked at Neung’s phone and figured out where they had to go. As they walked, they chatted about how they found the gig—Neung from Valen and his connections, Win from a friend named Peter—and how they hoped it wouldn’t take too long. Both of them were used to having gigs go through and found themselves talking easily. As they drew closer, Win’s phone rang.

“Sorry, I should answer this” Win said apologetically. 

“Of course” Neung answered easily.

When Win saw who was calling, his face softened and a shy smile crossed his face.

“Hi Tops, what’s up? Why are you calling? Oh? Not until 8? This should be done by 4, 4:30, so I’ll go out to eat, okay? No, don’t cook me anything! I will just get something to eat from somewhere near the gig, okay? Yes, I’ll text you when it’s over. Okay, see you later.” 

“Apparently I’m eating out tonight” joked Win as he put his phone away.

“Actually, I was going to as well, since there won’t be anyone home when I get there either. Want to get something together?” Neung offered, since Win seemed friendly and this would be better than going straight home to an empty house.

“Sure, do you want to give me your number so we can find each other after the gig?” 

Neung held out his phone and let Win put his number into it, calling the number so that Win could easily get it later. He then quickly texted Kay to let him know of the new plan.

Finishing up from changing the sheets, Kay heard his text tone for Neung’s notifications go off. He checked his screen, and saw that Neung apparently had made a friend (how Neung was so good at that, he didn’t know. Even at the internship, Neung had no problem talking to any of the other interns. Kay wasn’t unfriendly or anything, but Neung would crack jokes within just minutes of meeting a new person) and would be getting food somewhere near the gig. Kay texted a thumbs up to let him know that he saw the message, then went back to cleaning, humming as he worked.

When the two got to the department store, they looked around, confused. It was Win who saw the “models go here” sign, while Neung spotted the “musicians meet upstairs” sign. They pointed out where to go, then split. Neung entered the dressing rooms, where the models were apparently meeting, and found a sign-in sheet. He scanned for his name, and once he found it, signed in with the nearby pen. He wasn’t sure what to do next, however. Fortunately, a young woman who appeared to work as an event planner came in, holding a clipboard and wearing a jacket with a name pin.

“Hello, models, I need you to gather around me. Yes, thank you. Can you all hear me? I’m P’Soda, and I will tell you which clothes to go get and what order you will be in.” 

She ran through several names, handing out slips of paper which seemed to have the clothes they would wear. The models looked at the papers, then went out to find the clothes in the store. Neung didn’t know that it would be this last-minute, the clothing choices. Then again, he usually did pictures. 

“Adulrat Choattrakarn?”

“That’s me” Neung said as he stepped forward. 

“Here’s the clothes you will wear, go find your size and report back here in 20 minutes”

Neung nodded and took the paper. It said he would be wearing jeans in some brand he didn’t recognize, a polo in a brand he did recognize, and some sunglasses. He set off and found the polo right outside the dressing room, grabbing two in case one didn’t fit. He set off in search of the jeans and sunglasses, finding the jeans near the middle of the store and the sunglasses near the cash registers. As he put on the outfit, he struck some poses, wishing again Kay could have come. He took a few selfies and mirror pics and sent them to Kay. Once he was dressed, he gathered his stuff and went back to P’Soda. 

“Excuse me, P’Soda, where do I leave my stuff?” Neung asked politely.

“Hold it for now; when everyone comes back we will show where you will keep your stuff until the event is over.”

“Okay, thank you P’Soda.”

“No problem.”

Neung played a game on his phone as he waited for the other nine people to come back. The gig seemed fairly straightforward. He would walk the runway after a few musicians played, then he and the other models would take pictures that would be on the walls of the store. After that, he would help clean up (putting away chairs and such, which wasn’t required, but Kay and the internship at the hotel had taught him to be helpful). As the other models came trickling in, he talked to a few of them but wished he could get to the runway already. A clapping noise caught his attention once the others were all there.

“Okay, we’re all here, right? Okay, good. Follow me, please” P’Soda said.

The models obediently followed her to an upstairs office, where P’Soda told them they could put their stuff. The models put their stuff down in neat piles and gathered around her once they were done. 

“Okay, I’m going to call out your names again and just line up behind me, okay? This is the order you will be going in.”

Neung listened for his name and wasn’t particularly surprised when he was the last guy, as the order went boy-girl-boy-girl. The girl behind him seemed friendly enough, a pretty girl who excitedly told him her name was Manaow. She was going about how her friends were there to support her, which made Neung slightly upset, as he really wished Kay was there. But it wasn’t his fault, and besides, Kay had gone to other gigs, even when he didn’t need to. (Sometimes he intimidated the photographers, which always made Neung crack up). He smiled politely, but when he heard the name “Pharm” he frowned, thinking the name sounded fairly familiar. Before he could think about it too much, though, P’Soda was leading them to the runway. 

“This is pretty self explanatory, I hope, but real quick: you walk down to the end, strike three poses, then come back. Once a person comes back, you go. Once you’re done, stay here, since we will be taking the pictures for the store after everyone finished their walk, okay? Any questions?”

There were none, and the group waited for their cue. Since they were behind a curtain, Neung couldn’t tell who was singing, but knew it wasn’t Win, as it sounded like a group of girls. Two songs later, P’Soda told the first model to get ready. As a k-pop song started, the first model confidently walked to the end, struck his three poses, and came back. The line got shorter and shorter and it was soon Neung’s turn. He took a deep breath, pasted a dazzling smile on his face, and walked. He got to the end, struck three poses (making a lot of girls scream for some reason), and walked back. When Manaow came back from her turn (there were a lot of wolf whistles for her; Neung assumed it was from the friends she had mentioned), P’Soda smiled at them and took them to a different office than before. 

Meanwhile, Kay was preparing to go to Akk's, so he went to the kitchen and got the ingredients he had bought from the nearby market, putting it into bags so he could keep it cold as he rode to Akk’s homestay. One pleasant bike ride later, Kay arrived at the homestay, going around back to where he knew the kitchen was. He went in, using a key that Akk had given him. The others didn’t seem to be there, but Kay knew that it was fine, and let himself in, getting started on a chicken curry recipe. He wondered what Neung was doing, semi-wishing he had gone, but enjoying the cooking he was doing. 

Back at the modeling gig, P’Soda was explaining how the rest of the shoot would go.

“We are going to take pictures now, starting with group pictures, then we’ll split you into pairs, then individual pictures. If it goes smoothly, then it shouldn’t take too long. Please cooperate with us, okay?”

The group pictures were fun, Neung mused. Since they were supposed to be candid, they were allowed to make funny faces. The paired pictures were less fun, since they were supposed to act “coupley” and Neung could only do that with Kay. However, since Manaow had such a bright personality, it worked out in the end. Several pictures with props later, Neung was free to go. He changed back into his clothes (he was allowed to keep the ones he modeled, as it was part of the gig) and headed out of the store. It was 4:15, and the event seemed to be winding down. The singer on stage was making some announcement, so Neung got closer to listen. When he could actually see who it was, he smiled, as it was Win.

“This is the last song of the event, so please enjoy it!” Win told the small crowd.

As Win sang about holding someone in his arms, Neung smiled as he swayed in his seat. He applauded when Win finished, then waited as people left. Once enough people left, Neung started putting away the foldable chairs, finding the racks for them behind the temporary stage. A tap on his shoulder made him look behind him, only to find no one there.

“Oh hi, Win” Neung said once he located the person who had tapped him. “Nice glasses.” 

“What are you doing?” Win asked, ignoring the glasses comment.

“Helping put the stuff away” Neung replied.

“Why?”

“Mmm...cause I can I guess? I did an internship this summer that taught me that there’s always something that can be done. Plus, I know someone who would be mad at me if I didn’t do anything to help.”

“Huh. Guess I never thought about it like that. Let me help, then.”

The two of them gathered chairs until they were all stacked.

“I think that’s good” Neung told Win. “We don’t know where other things go, so we’ll just be in the way.”

“Sounds good to me” Win replied cheerfully.

“Ready to find some food?” 

“Sure, I think I saw some street vendors down an alley, want to try those?”

Neung made a face but agreed. He knew nothing would taste as good as Kay’s cooking, but anything other than street vendor food would probably be expensive, especially in this area, with its fancy new department store.

“Why the face?”

Whoops, apparently Win had noticed. Neung looked over Win carefully and decided he could probably trust him. And if Win had a problem with Neung having a boyfriend, well, the bus stop was close by and he could just go home. 

“My boyfriend is a really good cook and since I’ve known him for years and years, I got really used to his cooking.” 

“Really??”

Neung couldn’t figure out Win’s tone, so he looked over at Win.

“No, don’t be offended! It’s just that my boyfriend is also a cook, isn’t that funny?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, although I didn’t know that until we became roommates. He was the only one who would tolerate my music playing. He said it sounded nice as he was cooking. Speaking of boyfriends, I told him I would message him, so let me do that really quick.” 

“I should text mine as well, actually. He likes to know where I’m at.”

Neung pulled up Kay’s Line, noticing that Kay had sent some stickers as a response to Neung’s selfies. He told Kay that the event had ended and that he was going to get food (and that it wouldn’t be as good as Kay’s), and also that he would text when he was on the bus/when he was home. Win ended his messages as well, and the two headed to the vendors.


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neung and Win find more about each other, while Kay works during his shift.

Kay had just arrived home (how he enjoyed calling this apartment “home”, compared to the one they were at during before their internship) from Akk’s when he got Neung’s message. He chuckled at Neung’s insistence that the food wouldn’t be as good as his, since Neung always said that. Sometimes Kay would act annoyed at that, but it secretly thrilled him to know that Neung-his friend for so many years, and now his boyfriend!-really did like his food. And apparently so did Akk, Kay mused. He didn’t have to ask Kay to help, considering Chef Man had liked his dishes best of all the interns, but he still did. He even helped pay for the food, since he couldn’t currently afford to pay Kay as a full (or even part) time cook, considering how small the homestay was. Kay did wonder how long it would take for it to become “Akk & Tone’s Homestay”, versus just the “Akk Daengprasert Homestay” it was currently. Although, if Kay was honest, he thought “Tone & Akk” sounded better. Kay checked the time and realized he would have to hurry if he wanted to shower before his shift. It was only a ten minute bike ride to the local restaurant he worked at, but it was already 5:10. 

One shower later, Kay was back on his bike, heading to work. Today’s shift was a shorter shift than usual, but a later one as well. He hoped Neung would be home before him, so he wouldn’t have to worry. He messaged Neung that he was starting work and therefore couldn’t answer until after his shift, then slipped on his apron and got to work.

Neung and Win took a while to find food they wanted to eat, but eventually found a noodle stall, where they both ordered meatball soup. As they waited, they chatted about the different gigs they had done and the ones they had upcoming. They found out that they both had a gig at a mall on the same day, although at different stores: Neung taking pictures for a photography place, Win to play at the opening of a music store. They were deciding to make plans to hang out that day, when the food arrived. 

“My boyfriend would be totally disappointed that I ordered the plain meatball soup, so don’t tell him” Neung joked.

“Oh, mine would be too, so let’s not tell them” Win said solemnly. As he leaned over his soup, his glasses fogged up. “Oh darn, my glasses—“

“Why are you wearing glasses when you had contacts earlier?”

“The contacts make my eyes itch after a while, so I switch to glasses once I’m done with gigs. Tops-that’s my boyfriend-likes them, so that’s nice too.”

“Huh, guess I’m just used to mine. Cheerleading in high school meant I had to wear them for practice and the events.”

“You were a cheerleader?”

“Yeah, I know, no one expects the guy with this face to be a cheerleader. Or to own a cat. They also seem to think I’m a playboy for some reason, even though it took me forever-and a big misunderstanding-to kiss my boyfriend.”

“Really? What happened?”

“You better tell me about your relationship if I’m going to tell you about mine!” 

Neung told Win about how he and Kay had fought before they had the kiss that marked the beginning of their relationship as boyfriends, not just best friends. In turn, Win told him about how he started falling for Tops and how he knew he liked Tops when he started getting jealous when other people started talking to him. As they finished their food and left, walking towards the bus stop, their conversation turned to their cook boyfriends.

“What does Tops make? Main dishes or desserts?”

“He makes both, and he combines things you would never guess would work together.”

“Nice, Kay tends to make main dishes.”

They chatted more as they waited for the bus, each privately thinking that their boyfriend’s would probably like the other’s boyfriends. When the bus came, they sat together, with Win in the aisle seat, as he would be leaving first. When he left, Neung grinned and waved, then put his earbuds in his ears as he rode the rest of the way home.

* * *

When Neung got home to their apartment, the cats were meowing at him, glad he was home. 

“Hello Noodles, yes I’m glad to see you too, hiiii Soup”

As Neung slipped his shoes off, he tripped over Noodles, so he picked him up and cuddled the cat as he navigated through the dim apartment. He put the bag with his new clothes on a chair, planning on hanging them up in a bit. Soup jumped up to join him on the couch, purring as she kneaded his legs. Neung loved these moments, when the cats decided that they wanted nothing more to be with him. He decided to play a mobile game for a bit, knowing he would have to shower soon. It wasn’t late, only 7:30, but Neung didn’t want to be in the shower when Kay got home, even though he wouldn’t be home until probably 10:30 or so. 

Meanwhile, Kay was cutting up vegetables for the newest customer’s soup. It wasn’t too busy today, fortunately. And because he was no longer working at a fancy hotel, being 100% aesthetic wasn’t necessary either. Kay had never really worried about aesthetic when cooking until the internship, as he always preferred taste to looks. So did Neung, actually...Kay hurriedly focused his thoughts back to his task. It wouldn’t do to think about his boyfriend at work. That would mean his task would take forever and make the customers mad, as well as his boss. Kay liked this job and he wanted to keep it, at least for the time being. He eventually wanted to work somewhere where he could use his own recipes, which was why he occasionally helped out at Akk’s, to see how people liked his recipes. He had a list of the ones people especially liked, and eventually he would work up the courage to ask his boss if he could try them out at this restaurant as well. But for now, he was happy to be cooking and having people enjoy his food, even if they weren’t his recipes. The time went by quickly and soon it was the end of his shift. He cleaned his work station, clocked out and waved goodbye to his fellow coworkers. Riding in the dark made some of his coworkers fear for his safety, but Kay wasn’t worried. As long as he wasn’t stupid, biking home was pleasant. 

Kay locked his bike to the rack the apartment provided for its residents, then walked up the stairs to his and Neung’s apartment. He paused and listened to see if Neung was there already, forgetting that Neung had messaged him three hours ago with a selfie to prove he was home. He heard Neung walking around, sounding like he was talking to the cats. Kay smiled and put the key in the lock. 

“Hi Neung” Kay called out. Neung poked his head out from their bedroom, and his face split into a large grin as he saw his boyfriend. Kay hated admitting it, but that grin caused butterflies in his stomach, even though they had been friends since they were eight years old and had been dating for almost a year now. 

“What are you doing?” Kay asked.

“Hanging up the clothes they let us keep after modeling, want to see them?”

“Sure”

Neung showed Kay the clothes he had already seen through the pictures, but he knew the modeling meant a lot to Neung, so he admired them just the same. 

“How was your shift?” Neung asked as he finished putting the clothes away.

“Fine, someone spilled a whole pitcher of water on the floor by accident though. Fortunately it was just the floor and not on customers!”

“Customers...glad I don’t have to deal with them anymore” Neung shuddered as he remembered how much yelling there could be during the internship.

Kay smiled as he got out his pajamas. Neung had settled into the bed (another thing Kay enjoyed. In their old apartment, they had beds. Now they had a bed, singular), scrolling through his phone. Kay changed and joined Neung in the bed, snuggling into Neung’s arms. Neung pressed his lips onto Kay’s head as Kay also got out his phone, pulling Instagram up and going through his feed. The two messed around on their phones until Kay started yawning, so Neung turned off the light and pulled the blanket over them both. Kay quickly fell asleep in Neung’s arms, while Neung stayed up a bit longer, mulling over how he got so lucky and how to persuade Kay to come to the mall gig. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pleum is a cheerleader in real life, so I made Neung one as well, and since Pleum also tweets about his cats constantly, I made sure for Neung and Kay to have some!


	3. Let's Go to the Mall!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay and Tops meet for the first time since their boyfriends have a gig at the same mall.

When Neung woke up in the morning, it was to the smell of Kay’s cooking. He stretched and walked to the small kitchen, where Kay was checking on how the omelettes were doing. He put his arms around Kay’s waist and put his head on Kay’s shoulder, causing the other to make a face before smiling.

“Good morning Kay”

“Good morning to you too Neung. Go sit down and we can eat together, okay?”

“Yes Khun Kay” Neung replied as he pecked a kiss on Kay’s cheek.

“Shoo!”

Neung went to the sink and washed his hands before sitting down at the small table. While bigger than their old apartment, this apartment still only had room for the old table, which they kept against the wall because they were used to it. A few minutes later Kay came out with the food and the two sat down to their breakfast. Neung figured this would be a good time to bring up the mall gig, which would be later in the week.

“Kay, what are you doing on Saturday? Do you have work?”

“Saturday? No, I’m off that day, why?” Kay said after a moment of thought.

“I have a gig at the mall near the hotel, can you come?”

“Why should I? Your gigs are boring”

“I want you to meet Win, the one I met yesterday. You’d like him, but I think you’d really like his boyfriend.”

“What the heck does that mean? You trying to set me up?”

Neung pouted at that remark. “Why would I try and set you up? You’re my boyfriend. We were not friends for this long and boyfriends for almost a year for me to set you up with other people.”

Kay laughed and squeezed Neung’s hand gently. “I’m not going anywhere. You think I’d let you go after crushing on you for a good two years? No way.”

Neung smiled at that. “Please come, I think you will enjoy it more than you think you will. And you don’t have to watch me or anything. You can shop or do whatever you want.”

“What if I wanted to hang out with my friends?”

“Oh! Does the name Pharm mean anything to you?”

“Pharm? That’s my friend from middle school. You remember him, he cooked desserts and was tiny. You weren’t friends with him, though, because cheer was at the same time as the other clubs. He was the one I spent the night with when...you know...” Kay was blushing too hard to finish his sentence. He knew how much he had hurt Neung by running away. They were long over that, fortunately, but Kay was still ashamed of his behavior.

“I thought that name sounded familiar!” Neung sounded triumphant.

“Oh?”

“The girl behind me on the runway yesterday, what-was-her-name-oh-yeah-Manaow, she mentioned her friend Pharm and it just sounded familiar.”

“When I last spoke to him, I think he mentioned that his best friend from college boyfriend’s name was Win too, think it was the same person?”

“I dunno, get up his social media and we can check.”

Kay obligingly brought out his phone and looked up Pharm’s Facebook, going into his friends. When he found the friend named Win, (whose profile picture included another boy that was tagged with the name “Team”) he showed his phone to Neung.

“No, that’s not him. The Win I met has long hair but not that long, and it’s black, not blonde. Also he has glasses and dimples. And his boyfriend is Tops, not Team.”

Kay nodded and put his phone away. 

“But Kay, can you please come on Saturday? I really think you’d like Win’s boyfriend. He cooks too”

“Why didn’t you start with that?” Kay asked, laughing. “Alright, alright. I’ll come”

“Yessss!” Neung cheered, smiling one of his infamous smiles as he brought his bite of omelette to his mouth.

* * *

The week passed by quickly, with Kay working his shifts and Neung mostly staying home and watching the cats. Getting gigs was a hit or miss sort of thing, but Neung didn’t mind staying home with Noodles and Soup. They also went out to the local market to get ingredients for Kay to use. Before they knew it, it was Saturday. The two of them were waiting for the bus when Neung’s phone lit up with a notification.

“Win says he’s at the mall already. You should go listen to him, he’s going to be singing for a music store opening. He has a good voice.”

“You do too, Neung.” Kay loved hearing Neung sing along to whatever was on the radio.

Neung made a face at that. He had been told that before, but he didn’t really want to do the singing thing. Cheering and modeling were enough for him. The bus came up then and the two got on.

* * *

Once at the mall, Neung headed to the photographer’s place, while Kay planned on wandering to see if he wanted anything. Money was a little tight, but he could splurge a little. He went upstairs and looked through the various stores, finding nothing of interest. He went backstairs, figuring he would go find Neung’s friend as he waited for Neung. He listened for music and followed it to a young man with glasses and dimples that he figured was Win. He sat down on a bench and listened to Win play his guitar and sing. When he was done, Kay politely applauded, then got out his phone to message Neung. When he opened Line, he saw that Neung had messaged him, sending a picture of him putting rabbit ears on Kay. Kay turned around and saw Neung sitting behind him, wearing a smirk. 

“When did you get here?” Kay asked suspiciously.

“Wow, so fierce! About two minutes ago. Did you like Win’s singing?”

“It was pretty good” Kay admitted. “But I still like yours better”

Neung stuck his tongue out at Kay, causing Kay to stick his tongue out as well. Neung made as to grab Kay’s waist, but Kay moved out of the way before he could. Undeterred, Neung took Kay’s hand and held it. Kay shot him a look but couldn’t keep the small smile off his face. 

“Hi Neung, hi Neung’s boyfriend-that-I-forgot-the-name-of-but-I-know-you’re-a-cook” A voice said from above them.

“Win! Hi!” Neung gave Win a wave. “This is Kay.”

“I thought I recognized that shirt, it’s the one you modeled at the other gig, right?”

“Yup” Neung replied proudly. 

“This is Tops, by the way” Win said as he gestured to the narrow-faced young man with a sharp chin next to him. 

“Hi” Tops said shyly. Kay could tell they would be friends, as they were both quieter than their boyfriends.

“Shall we get lunch?” Win asked the group, now that they had been introduced.

“Sure” replied the rest of the group. They headed to the food court, where they split into four different directions to get what they wanted. Kay headed to a drinks kiosk first, where he was behind an engineer student wearing a maroon shirt instead of the usual navy and a young man wearing a nice shirt with a tie. The one in the tie seemed to be scolding the engineer student for buying him a drink instead of letting him pay for it himself. 

“Kongpob, I swear...” Kay overheard as the two left, the taller engineer student holding the bags containing an iced coffee and a pink milk. 

Kay bought his boba and a plate of spicy noodles, then looked around for either his boyfriend or the other two. He spotted Tops sitting down at a table and sat down across from him.

“Kay, right?” Tops asked. “Win said you were a cook like me.”

“That’s right, I’m currently working at a restaurant near my apartment while I try and get to a place where I can use my recipes and not others. How about you?”

“I’m still a student, so I tend to just try out new recipes on Win. He usually likes them, but he can be picky.”

“He can’t possibly be more picky than Neung” Kay snorted as he mixed his noodles with a little bit of vinegar. “He basically refuses to eat street vendor food.”

“Hey, I can’t help that your food is better!” Neung protested as he sat down next to Kay, holding a plate of beef and fried rice. Across from him, Win sat down as well.

“You’re still too picky” Kay informed Neung.

Neung made a face and mixed his beef into the rice. 

“Anyways, Tops, you said you were a student? Are you getting a degree and a certificate? I just got the certificate so I could go straight to work once I was done.”

“I’m getting the degree, yes. I need to start thinking of places that can improve my resume though.”

“Hey, you could do the internship we did!” Neung interjected.

“You two did an internship at the same place?” Win asked curiously. “You guys do such different things though, with the modeling and the cooking.”

“It was at a hotel” Kay explained. “The top two winners got to work there. Although our first place winner got himself fired on purpose.”

Neung burst out laughing at that, startling Win and Tops. Kay couldn’t help but smile as well, remembering how ridiculous Akk was to get Tone to take his place.

“What’s so funny about that?” Win asked bemusedly.

Neung had tears streaming down his face and had to take a sip of Kay’s boba to calm himself.

“This dude. He was clearly bi but I don’t think he had any idea that he was. Do you think he knows now, Kay??”

Kay thought about it and shrugged.

“I mean, Pong told us he thought we were straight...”

Neung snorted. Win and Tops looked highly amused at that, which Neung noticed.

“Yeah, see? I’ve known Win a week and Tops for like...an hour now? And you guys can tell we’re together. But Akk? Four months of us working together and just no idea. Anyways, he clearly had two different crushes. One on Khun Sompai, the hotel owner’s daughter. The other on a fellow intern-male-, named Tone. Tone’s mom died and he really did deserve the internship—more than Nook, the girl who won, but whatever—so Akk decided that he would help Tone, right?”

Kay jumped in. “He staged a picture with Khun Sompai where it sort of looked like they were kissing from one angle, but another angle clearly showed they were not. However, the damage was done. Tone became the worker there and Akk went back to his homestay. Although a certain someone followed him there and works there and at the hotel.”

“Tone, you mean?” Win asked.

“The very same” Neung replied. “I don’t know if anyone told Akk he also had a crush on Sompai, it was just that he liked Tone more. Or that using your girl crush to get your guy crush sounds like a very bad drama.”

Win interrupted, eyes narrowed. “He really thought you were straight?”

“He really did” Kay said solemnly. 

“If you don’t believe us, I can text two other interns and three baristas that can confirm this” Neung said, miffed. “Although Kin apparently didn’t think we were romantically together at all either. At least he didn’t think we were straight.”

“I mean, Kin is gay too...”

“And Akk is bi, Pong is also bi (although his preference is guys and Akk is like 51/49) and I’m pan, what’s your point?” Neung asked pointedly. “Pretty sure Valen knew we were on our way to becoming a thing and he was the only straight one out of eight dudes. Anyways, you should check out the internship. Maybe your school has a program with the hotel, although it’s not required, considering Tone, Akk, Kin, Kay, and I were all finished with school by the time we were doing the internship.”

“And Valen” Kay reminded Neung.

“Valen doesn’t count, he got in because he was the nephew of the directors and you know it. Honestly a little surprised Sompai didn’t do it too, or maybe she did the first year...”

Kay rolled his eyes but let it go. “Yeah, the internship was a good experience though. Looks good on your resume, as well. I can give you more information if you want, Tops.”

“I’ll consider it” Tops said, smiling. He pulled out his phone and told Kay to add his number. Kay added it and gave the phone back to Tops. He pretended not to notice Win and Neung nodding at each other with “we were right, our boyfriends do like each other” smirks on their faces. 

The four finished their food, talking about their various school and job experiences. They decided to make plans to hang out again at some point, when Neung and Kay didn’t have work and Win and Tops didn’t have school. Kay told Tops to message him with any questions about the internship, while Neung reminded Win to see if he found any gigs where they could work together. They split up into their respective pairs and left the mall.

“What did you think of them?” Neung asked Kay as they walked to the bus stop. 

“I liked Tops, since he’s a cook like me” Kay answered with a smirk.

“Of course you did” Neung said as he bumped hips with Kay, then slid his arm around Kay’s waist. Kay leaned into Neung as they waited for the bus.

When the bus came, the two sat in the back, ready to be home. However, traffic was bad, so it was a slow ride to their apartment. At a stop near a high rise apartment building, there was some type of commotion that seemed to involve three women screaming at two shortish brothers, a young man around their age who was holding a toolbox, a girl dressed in a very masculine fashion, and a very handsome guy who looked on in exasperation. The brothers (Neung was guessing but he was pretty sure he was right) started running around, and even more guys around their age came out to try and calm them down. Neung watched with interest until the bus finally moved past the block. 

“Wow, that looked more intense than anything we dealt with at our internship, and that’s saying something!” Neung remarked.

Kay rolled his eyes, then settled into Neung. Neung chuckled softly, giving Kay a soft look that very few people got to see. The bus finally got to their stop and the two got off, stretching after the long ride. 

“Hello kitties” Neung called softly as they got into their apartment and took off their shoes.

Kay gave Neung a look that Neung ignored. No one ever guessed that a guy with that face was absolutely smitten with cats, and while Kay thought it was funny and adorable, sometimes he wished he had Neung’s total attention when they got home. Still, he had to admit as Soup wound her way through his legs, purring loudly, that they were very cute. Neung picked up Noodles and made his way to the couch, so Kay followed with Soup. They cuddled for a bit before Kay got impatient and dragged Neung into the bedroom, making sure to leave the cats outside the closed door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pharm would 100% let Kay stay over for a night if needed  
> Win from Ingredients and Win from UWMA...will they ever meet?  
> While Pleum does in fact sing (the song "Shout" by V.R.P., his group, is a BOP) I decided that Neung doesn't especially want to do that  
> Kongpob and Arthit say hello!  
> While we have no idea what's happening for school in Ingredients, it's implied that they are students in the very first episode  
> You can't tell me that Neung would ever let the fact that Akk thought they were straight go, because he wouldn't  
> Yes that *was* the YYY apartment


	4. Don't Be Upsetti Have Some Spaghetti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay and Tops cook together at Win and Tops' place.

A month after their hangout at the mall, Kay got a message from Tops inviting him over to his and Win’s apartment to try some recipes he had to do for school. Neung and Win had hung out a few more times, but Win and Tops had had conflicts, with work and homestay visits for Kay and school for Tops. But he was finally free to go over to their apartment. Neung would be at a photoshoot for magazine advertisements, and Tops said that Win would be at class all day, so they wouldn’t be interrupted by curious, dramatic, hungry boyfriends. After getting the instructions to their apartment, Kay debated riding his bike or the bus to get there, finally deciding on his bike. He followed the GPS instructions and was slightly surprised when he arrived on how nice their complex was. Kay was glad when Tops came out and showed him where he could leave his bike. He followed Tops inside, marveling at all the space they had. 

“I already bought the ingredients for the recipes for my class, but I also bought some for us to experiment with. I thought we could do one class recipe and then experiment, since following recipes isn’t as interesting as making new ones” Tops said as they made their way to the kitchen. 

“Okay, sounds good” Kay replied, feeling a little overwhelmed. He and Neung weren’t poor by any means, but they didn’t have this much space, which meant Kay tended to make meals for two days at most. There was the local market, which meant it wasn’t a hassle to get new ingredients, but to have ingredients on hand for several meals was out of the question. When they got to the kitchen, Kay felt a small burst of jealousy. This was a real kitchen, not a stove and two cabinets with no real counter space. Kay usually did most of the kitchen prep on the table they ate on. Neung wasn’t usually allowed in the kitchen if Kay was cooking, not because he wasn’t trusted, but because there wasn’t any room. 

“Do you want any water, Kay?” Tops asked, interrupting Kay’s thoughts.

“Oh yes please” Kay answered.

Tops got out two mugs and filled them with water, which Kay drank gratefully. 

“I printed out the recipes that I have to do for my class. Which one do you think we should do?”

Kay looked over the various recipes (which seemed to be Western recipes) and decided that the one for spaghetti and meatballs sounded like the one he wanted the most. He handed it to Tops, who nodded and started getting out the appropriate ingredients.

“What’s with the Western recipes?” Kay asked curiously.

“My teacher seems to like those types of recipes, so that’s what we make. I prefer coming up with my own recipes, but if I want to pass this class...”

“You have to do what the teacher likes” Kay finished for him, rolling his eyes. Kay was used to making Thai dishes and didn’t always understand the obsession with Western food some people had. Still, some of them were good, especially when he was allowed to add his own twist. 

“Are you allowed to tweak the recipe?” Kay wanted to know.

“Sometimes, but not this time” was the answer.

Kay nodded and started cutting the onions Tops put in front of him. The two of them cut vegetables in companionable silence and soon had the sauce simmering on the stove. Tops got out the meat and seasonings to make spicy meatballs, which they shaped and cooked in a pan before dropping them in the sauce. They cooked the noodles and sat down to eat what they had made. Kay had to admit it was a pretty good recipe, but he had thoughts on how he could improve it. As they ate, they talked about what they had cooked before.

“So do you just make up recipes for Win to try?” Kay asked. “I do that for Neung.”

“Yes, and he usually likes them. Sometimes when he tries my recipes, he makes these faces like he’s surprised the combo works so well, but he was really used to eating instant noodles in the days he couldn’t find a roommate.”

“Why couldn’t he find a roommate?”

“He’s always playing the guitar, trying to write new songs”

“People got mad at that?” Kay asked incredulously. He was used to Neung singing along to his music or just talking while playing games and couldn’t imagine being upset if Neung decided to play a guitar or anything.

“I guess so, he was so relieved when he found me as a roommate. But his songs are nice to listen to.”

Kay nodded and twirled more spaghetti onto his fork.

“Oh, Kay, I was meaning to ask you about the internship. It’s a yearly thing, right?”

“Yes, and the top two winners get to work there. I was disappointed not to win, but now I’m okay with it. I get to try out new recipes at Akk’s homestay and it still looks good on my resume, since it’s such a respectable hotel. The assistant chef there, Oam, was a winner himself.”

“I know you chose to do it for the cooking experience, but what about Neung?”

“Well, the internship is three different parts. You have cooking, front desk, and cleaning duties. Two of the interns my year really did not want to do anything but front desk, which led to some ‘scandals’ so to speak. It’s a four month internship, and you get to choose which task you want to do in the last month. The first three you have to do whichever task is assigned to you.”

“That doesn’t answer my question” Tops said with a smile. “Why did Neung do it if he’s into modeling? I know Win asked this but you guys went into the story about the winners and never answered.”

“To be honest, I think he did it because I did. We’ve been friends for so long, we tend to do major things together. It was also another thing he could put on his resume. He’s worked with customers, which employers like to see, even if it has nothing to do with what he does now.”

“How long have you been boyfriends?”

“Almost a year”

Tops nodded at that, then gestured at their now empty plates. “Let’s wash these dishes and then get to the more fun stuff: experimenting.”

Kay smiled and brought his plate to the kitchen. The two of them looked at the ingredients that were available and decided to make a soup. As they cut up the various vegetables, they talked about how dramatic their boyfriends could be. Kay smiled when Tops described how he had made a cake for Win’s recent birthday but the only candle in the house was a “6”, leftover from a cousin’s birthday, and in turn, Kay told Tops how Neung had a habit of eating whatever was in Kay’s hands. As they added different meats, Kay realized that he was having a lot of fun and that he would definitely want to do this again. As the soup bubbled, the two cleaned up the kitchen. When they were finished, the soup was done, so they each had a small bowl. As it was getting late, Tops kindly got out some takeout containers so that Kay could bring it home, telling Kay he didn’t need to bring them back, as he and Win had a lot of them.

“Thank you so much for inviting me” Kay said sincerely as the two walked his bike to the main road.

“Thank you for coming” Tops said warmly. “We should do it again, but next time we should cook for our boyfriends. They could hang out and watch us and maybe help—although Win insists on being Salt Bae when he helps me.”

Kay chuckled and told Tops he would tell Neung, and that he would message Tops when he knew he had a free afternoon. He waved goodbye and headed back to his apartment, enjoying the now cool air of early evening. 

When Kay got home, he noticed Neung wasn’t home yet and decided to shower. He put the food away and took his shower. When he got out, Neung was back, lying on the couch and petting the cats. Kay watched him and decided to try and scare him, even though it rarely worked. Sure enough, Neung spotted him and gave him a grin. Kay scrunched up his face, disappointed.

“Hey, none of that. Come here, Mr. Kay” Neung moved the cats off him and patted his chest. “Didn’t you see Tops today? How was that?”

“It was fun” Kay replied as he made his way over to Neung, lying down top of him. “He said you were invited over so that me and him could cook for you and Win.”

“Really? His cooking can’t be as good as yours” Neung was running his fingers through Kay’s damp hair, making it stick up.

“Stop that” Kay lightly slapped Neung’s hand. “His cooking is good. In fact, there’s the soup we made for dinner.”

“Is that why there was a container I didn’t recognize in the refrigerator?”

“Yup, you didn’t eat yet, did you?”

“No, but I’m not quite ready to eat yet” Neung had a soft look in his eyes, and Kay knew Neung wanted to stay on the couch with Kay for a while. 

“Okay, we can stay here for now” Kay said, looking at Neung’s lips. He got into a more comfortable position and gently kissed Neung. Neung smiled against the kiss and brought his hands to Kay’s face, deepening the kiss. Sometimes Kay still couldn’t believe he was allowed to do this with Neung. He had crushed on him for two years and figured that Neung would never like him back. When they had had their misunderstanding, Kay had figured that all his chances of being Neung’s friend were gone, but no, Neung made sure they got over it and had given Kay the best first kiss ever. Every kiss after only got sweeter, and this kiss was no exception. When Neung flipped them over, Kay only mildly protested and brought him closer, loving the warmth Neung provided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am: a sucker for soft boyfriends


	5. Grocery Store Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neung and Kay go to the grocery store, where they see some familiar and not-so-familiar faces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: this story has two fandoms  
> The characters: are you sure about that

“You’re free today?” Kay asked over the phone, trying to balance the phone and the mixing bowl in his hands. Neung rolled his eyes and took the phone out from Kay’s ear and shoulder, putting it on speaker mode. 

“Thank you Neung” Kay said distractedly. “Yeah, we are free today too. Do you want me to get any ingredients?”

“Only if you want to” Tops replied.

"Hey, that soup you and Kay made was really good” Neung informed Tops, throwing an orange in the air while saying it. “Oh whoops...”

“I heard that you liked it from Kay” Tops told Neung, who was now taking the orange away from the curious cats. 

“What was that whoops?” Win was apparently also listening to the conversation.

“Neung dropped an orange” Kay rolled his eyes while mixing and talking. “He doesn’t seem to know food goes into his mouth, not the floor.”

Tops and Win laughed at that, and told them they could come over at any time.

“We’ll probably be over in about two hours, we’ll hit the market after breakfast and then the bus ride” Kay said before saying goodbye.

“You ready to see their apartment?” Kay asked Neung, who was now eating the orange. Despite hanging out with Win many times now, Neung still hadn’t been over to their apartment yet. It had been an uneventful two weeks since Kay had gone over, and Kay was ready to show Tops a new recipe he had made. He had tried it over at Akk’s homestay and Tone had informed Kay that the visitors had loved it.

“Yeah, and ready to have more of your cooking”

“You’re about to have my cooking right now, these pancakes will only take a few minutes.”

Neung smiled at that and once Kay had made the pancakes, the two sat down to a quiet breakfast, their legs mingling underneath the table. 

* * *

At the supermarket, Kay grabbed a basket and started wandering the aisles, knowing he wanted to get vegetables for sure but wanting to check out the other aisles first. Neung followed him, pointing out things he thought Kay might like. In the spice aisle, a short guy about their age was trying to get something off the top shelf when the extremely tall guy he appeared to be with got it for him, then proceeded to hold it out of reach.

“Ai’Sai, what are you doing?” the short one whisper-shouted. Kay and Neung went down the next aisle, so they didn’t hear the reply. 

“That was quite the height difference, wasn’t it?” Neung remarked.

“Yeah, I don’t think even Pharm and Dean’s height difference is that big, from what I’ve seen on Pharm’s Facebook” Kay answered absentmindedly. They were on the baking aisle, and at the name Pharm, another short guy turned around. He had been informing the tall young man he was with to get a fancy sugar off the top shelf, which the taller had been doing with the world’s softest look.

“Kay! Hi!” 

“Pharm, it’s nice to see you! You remember Neung, don’t you?” 

“He was the cheerleader, right? I think so.” Pharm looked at Neung and smiled at him in greeting. “This is P’Dean, by the way.”

“His boyfriend” Dean said in a very serious voice that informed Kay and Neung that Pharm was off-limits.

“P’Deeeeeeaaan! No need to be mean! Kay was my friend in middle school. He cooks too, but mostly main dishes.”

“You’re still cooking desserts, then, Pharm?” Kay asked while Neung fiddled with the buttons on Kay’s polo sleeves, not super interested in the conversation.

“Mhm, I’m going to try a new recipe today with P’Dean’s sister, Del. And I’m sorry, but we’re supposed to meet her soon, and I hate to cut this short, but we have to go. It was nice seeing you, though!”

“Nice seeing you too, Pharm.” Kay replied, nodding at the elder and pushing Neung off his arm. 

When they were out of earshot, Neung whispered to Kay “Yeah that height difference was big but not quite as big as the other two we saw.” 

Kay nodded and almost turned down the chip aisle, but changed direction, as chips were not on the menu. Besides, two people appeared to be having an argument in the middle of it. Kay thought they looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place them. 

“Hia, please!!” was what Neung and Kay heard as they started heading to the vegetables.

Neung looked back curiously. “Kay, I think that was the Win you looked up.”

“Is that why he looked vaguely familiar?” Kay asked distractedly. “Help me with the vegetables, please. It’s later than I thought it was.”

“Anything you say, Khun Kay” Neung saluted and grabbed some produce bags. Ten minutes later, the two left the store with three bags of ingredients. They got to the bus stop right as the bus got there, making Kay very happy. He messaged Tops that they were on the bus and that it shouldn’t be too long until they were there. He tried to lean into Neung, but he was holding all the food, so he put his arm through Neung’s as the bus took them to their friends’ apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I don't trust: the heights they say these actors are. Just in general. They say there's a three inch difference and then they're next to each other without shoes and it's closer to five.   
> Is it really DeanPharm if there isn't a "P'Deeeeaaaan"?


	6. Nah, We're Not Cooking By the Book

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay and Tops cook for and with their boyfriends.

“Hi, guys” Tops said cheerfully when Neung and Kay arrived, taking the bags from Neung. “Win is upstairs, but he should be down soon, Neung. Wow, Kay this is a lot, do you have anything in mind?”

“I do, but I’ll tell you in the kitchen.”

“Are you keeping secrets from me, Kay?” Neung pouted.

“Maybe, but you’ll be okay, you dramatic baby” Kay teased.

“You think he’s dramatic?” Tops asked with a smirk on his face.

“Who’s dramatic?” Win asked, coming from behind Tops and putting his head on his shoulder.

“You are” Tops informed him.

Win made a face, then brightened when he saw the bags of ingredients.

“You two are cooking?”

Tops gave him an incredulous look.

“Yes, I told you this”

“I forgot” Win said with a wounded look.

Tops rolled his eyes but apparently couldn’t stop the smile he was sporting. “Go show Neung the song you’ve been working on, maybe he can help?”

“No one can help as much as you though” Win pouted.

“Thanks a lot” Neung joked.

“No offense, Neung. But clearly our boyfriends don’t love us anymore, so let us leave their sanctuary” The two went to the couch, Win grabbing his guitar.

“Wow you weren’t joking. Win is more dramatic than Neung.” Kay was watching them, eyebrows raised. “I would say I didn’t think that was possible, but one of our fellow interns, Kin, was definitely an over-reactor and Neung is nowhere near as bad as him.” The two of them went to the kitchen, where Tops put Kay’s ingredients on the counter.

“You said you had a recipe?” Tops asked Kay as he washed his hands.

“Mhm, I made it for Akk’s homestay and apparently people liked it. Neung has been asking me to make it for him ever since Akk told the group chat that it was the one of most popular dishes he’s had at the homestay, but I told him he had to wait.”

“Is it a main dish? I have an idea for a cute little dessert, and a few ideas for main dishes, but I want to hear your idea.”

“Yup, a main dish. I don’t really do desserts, I let my friend Pharm do those”

“Okay, get out the ingredients and we’ll start”

Kay washed his hands and got out some of the vegetables he had brought and asked Tops permission to go into the fridge, to which Tops said yes to easily. Tops gave Kay an apron and put one on himself. As the two washed the vegetables and marinated the meat, Win and Neung started singing, their voices floating into the kitchen over Win’s guitar playing.

“Hey, your boyfriend has a pretty good voice too!” Tops remarked.

“Yeah, well, don’t tell him.” Kay was a bit sterner than he meant to be, so he softened his voice. “He doesn’t want to sing and tends to stop when people tell him they like his voice. He sings for me because I like it, but good luck to anyone else who wants to hear him sing if he doesn’t want to sing for them” 

“Got it.”

* * *

As the food cooked, the apartment filled with the aroma of the meat and sauces Kay was working on. Tops had an idea for a side dish that used up some old rice he had, as well as the instant noodles Win kept buying that Kay thought would go well with the meat and vegetables he was making. Win and Neung were laughing, apparently over some lyrics they were writing, causing their boyfriends to smile. 

“Should we get them to help with the dessert?” Tops asked Kay when they were at a good pause point.

“Sure, you said it involved meringue right? They can help mix it”

“Win, come help please!” Tops called out.

“Okay, coming!”

Win and Neung came in, looking curious. Neung tried to look in a covered pot, stopping when he saw Kay’s look. Win washed his hands and half sat on the counter, listening to Tops’ instructions on how to mix the meringue, while Neung had his arms around Kay’s waist, putting his hands into the apron pocket, also listening to Tops. Tops gave the electric mixer to Win, watching him carefully as Win balanced the bowl in his lap. Neung was in charge of adding sugar to the egg whites, so he poured it in whenever Tops told him to. When it was all mixed, Tops put it into two pastry bags and gave one to Win and one to Neung. He told Win to make circles and Neung to make peaks on a baking sheet. When they were done with that, Tops said they could go back to writing lyrics. The two left and Tops stuck the sheet into the oven. 

“I think that’s it for now, Kay. Can you dry dishes as I wash them?”

“Of course. You know, if you end up doing the internship, you’ll have to wash a lot of dishes.”

“I would expect that, I guess. Tell me more about your internship.”

Kay told him about how even though the groups were randomly picked, he had ended up with Akk every time, which was one of the reasons they had stayed in touch. Tops, in turn, told Kay about an acting class he and Win had taken their first year in college. Kay listened with interest, even though he had no interest in acting. When they finished, the timer for the meringue went off and Tops showed Kay how he made the two parts look like mushrooms. 

“I think everything is ready, you can call them while I plate” Tops said.

Kay nodded and took off his apron, putting it on the hook Tops pointed out. He went to the living room, where Win and Neung appeared to be playing a mobile game on the couch.

“Guys, it’s ready!”

“I finally get to try that dish Tone and Akk kept raving about” Neung cheered as he got up.

Neung and Win washed their hands, then the three of them sat down at the table Win went to. As it was a square table, Neung and Kay sat across from each other, as Win said that he and Tops sat like that. Tops brought out two dishes and placed them in front of Win and Neung, then came back with his own and Kay’s. Before sitting down, Tops also got out glasses of mango juice.

“What is it?” Win asked with big eyes.

“The mound of rice is actually rice and instant noodles, while the main dish was made by Kay, so I’ll let him explain” Tops said.

“It’s beef, chicken, and ham in a sweet chili sauce, with a little bit of vinegar, mixed with vegetables” Kay explained.

Neung and Win looked at each other, then at their boyfriends, both silently asking if they could start eating. Both Kay and Tops nodded, so they tried the main dish, Neung starting with a piece of beef, Win with a piece of chicken.

“It’s delicious Kay!” Neung said with his mouth full. “I can see why those homestay people liked it, even if you wouldn’t let me try it for weeks!”

Kay smiled, glad his boyfriend enjoyed it. Win’s eyes had grown big, just like Tops had predicted earlier, and was eating with gusto. Kay and Tops dug in as well, and the four of them discussed the food and other happenings in their lives. When all their dishes were clean, Tops brought out the meringue mushrooms. Win loved how they looked and made it clear to Kay and Neung how much he loved his boyfriend. The four of them joked around like old friends as they drank hot chocolate as evening slowly darkened the room they were in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay's dish is something I made up since it sounds good  
> The ramen-rice dish is something Gameplay (Tops) made on Food Design and it is ADDICTIVE, I've had it way too many times   
> The meringues are also something Gameplay made on Food Design   
> The acting class is a reference to He She It, which also stars Jeff and Gameplay.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure it's clear I have no idea how modeling works but oh well, had fun writing it  
> Yes, that's Soda from Why R U, and Manaow from UWMA!  
> Win sang the song Tops helped him write


End file.
